In-N-Out Wants 65-foot Billboard; Costa Mesa, Not So Much

According to the Daily Pilot, In-N-Out wants to put up a 65-foot freeway sign at the site of where Kaplan's Deli used to be; right off the Harbor exit from the 405.

The Costa Mesa Planning Commission doesn't like that idea so much. They denied In-N-Out's request. Next, the burger chain plans to appeal with the Costa Mesa City Council.

The hearing is going to happen June 16th, yadda, yadda...but what I like about the story, though, is that the people opposed to the sign have to preface their protests with how much they like to eat there:

"As much as I like In-N-Out, I don't want to subject the city to what amounts to a 65-foot billboard at the entrance to the city," commission Chairman Jim Righeimer said.

...and;

"Several residents also told the commission that they enjoy the restaurant's burgers but think the proposed location would cause severe traffic backups..."

Anyway, I'm not sure that the sign In-N-Out wants to put up will be one of their infamous 3D relief billboards, but I remember seeing one once, I think somewhere in Riverside County. They used to stock it with dry ice or something. At regular intervals smoke would spew out between those giant patties. Sometimes, the smoke machine (or whatever it was) would malfunction and shroud the entire thing in a haze. That always looked so cool.

But I can see where the Costa Mesa residents are coming from. If I have to see one out my window every morning...I dunno...that might suck. Especially if it's just one of those boring 2D ones that doesn't spew out smoke.

Edwin Goei was born on the island of Java, grew up in La Habra, studied in Irvine, and eats everywhere. Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, he went by the alias "elmomonster" on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.